Tags: vaccination

Updated iHV GPP: Improving Vaccination Uptake

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) is delighted to announce the publication of its updated Good Practice Points (GPP): Improving Vaccination Uptake During Pregnancy and Early Childhood. This new resource supports health visitors and the wider health visiting workforce to strengthen their role in improving vaccination confidence and uptake during pregnancy and the early years – a crucial public health priority. 

Recent national updates, including the UK’s loss of its measles elimination status, highlight the impact of declining vaccination rates and the urgency of supporting families with clear, evidence-based information. Through their universal reach, health visitors can engage early with parents, build trust, and help overcome both hesitancy and barriers to accessing vaccination-based information. 

The updated GPP was created with the support of Dr Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health, Population, Policy and Practice Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, iHV Trustee, and iHV Expert Adviser: Immunisations.  

iHV GPPs provide busy practitioners with easily accessible and up-to-date information on key public health priority topics. This updated GPP contains the latest data and evidence on improving vaccination uptake, with an overview of: 

  • UK childhood vaccination coverage and the impact of declining rates 
  • Inequalities, declining uptake, and approaches to tackling these disparities 
  • A whole system approach to improving vaccination rates 
  • Vaccine access, vaccine hesitancy, and strategies to support families 
  • Key messages and top tips for health visitors and health visiting skill mix teams. 

The iHV would like to thank the iHV Health Visiting Advisory Forum (HVAF) members for their valuable contribution to the review process, helping ensure this refreshed guidance reflects current evidence and the realities of frontline practice across diverse communities. 

Read GPP - Improving Vaccination Uptake During Pregnancy and Early Childhood

Note: iHV GPPs are free-to-access for all iHV members. 

The iHV is a self-funding charity – we can only be successful in our mission to strengthen health visiting practice if the health visiting profession and its supporters join us on our journey. We rely on our membership to develop new resources for our members. 

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.  

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UK loses measles elimination status

The World Health Organization has announced that the UK has lost its measles elimination status.

Doctors, public health experts and local councils said the WHO’s decision reflected the country’s reducing uptake of the MMR vaccination – which they linked to vaccine hesitancy and parents’ difficulty in accessing reliable information and getting appointments for their child to be immunised, in addition to poverty which goes hand in hand with low uptake. 

Professor Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health, Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and iHV Expert Adviser: Immunisations, said:

“Sadly, it comes as no surprise that the UK has lost its measles elimination status.  To achieve elimination requires very high, sustained, uptake levels of two doses of a measles containing vaccine, but because measles is so highly infectious, any decline in uptake results in outbreaks.

“In the UK, vaccination uptake overall is below the 95% target, with significant variation between areas and social groups. These inequalities are increasing. In some parts of London, almost a half of five-years-olds remain unprotected against this potentially serious infection. As a result, over the past few years in there have been thousands of cases of measles and two deaths in UK.

“Health visitors are ideally placed to discuss vaccination with their families, and to remind them when vaccines are overdue. In the UK we are fortunate to have ready access to a safe and highly effective vaccine to provide our children with protection against this potentially devastating infection.”

The change to the elimination status was based on the spread of cases in 2024 when there were 3,600 suspected cases.

The World Health Organization said it no longer classified Britain as having eliminated measles because the disease had become re-established.

The UK achieved measles elimination in 2016, but this was short-lived with endemic transmission re-established due to outbreaks linked to a measles resurgence across Europe in 2018.

In 2021, the UK regained measles elimination status based on a significant decline in measles circulation globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, measles activity started to increase in the UK and globally in 2023. Based on data submitted for 2024, when the UK experienced a large measles outbreak, the WHO confirmed that measles transmission was re-established. There were more than 1,000 cases last year as well.

The move is also a reflection of the fact vaccination rates are below the 95% threshold required to achieve herd immunity – when enough people in a community are vaccinated against a disease, making it hard for the pathogen to spread.

Government commits to prioritising child health – including childhood vaccination pilot

The Government has started 2026 with a clear statement about its plans to prioritise children’s health and child health services. The iHV welcomes these plans which provide an important opportunity to learn from the past and build a better future for our nation’s children.

In an interview on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme on New Year’s Day, Wes Streeting said he was ‘shocked’ by what he described as a lack of focus on children’s health and children’s healthcare, stating that, “One of the things we have to do as a government, as well as trying to recover the NHS generally […] so that it’s there for everyone when we need it – I think focusing on children and children’s health in particular, is really crucial”. [See Radio 4 Facebook post or listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds Radio 4 – Wes Streeting’s interview starts at 1:34:37]

Wes Streeting MP, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Department of Health and Social Care also announced the roll out of a new £2 million pilot which will see health visitors reaching families who face barriers to vaccines – to ensure that more children are protected.

Health visiting teams will offer vaccinations to children – providing a vital safety net for families who may miss out. The new pilot targets those families who have fallen through the cracks – including those not signed up with a GP, struggling with travel costs, childcare juggling, language barriers, or other tough circumstances that stop them getting to the doctor.

Offering vaccinations during routine health visitor visits removes these obstacles and ensures that more children can access life-saving protection. The pilot scheme uses the trusted health visitor relationships and expertise that already exist to reach families who need support most. The scheme is not designed to replace GP services, and families should continue to get vaccinated at their local surgery first.

The iHV has been involved in the national project Board for the childhood vaccination pilot and fully supports this initiative to maximise the public health role of health visitors, alongside the Government’s wider plans to strengthen health visiting.

The twelve pilot schemes will roll out from mid-January across five regions of England – London, the Midlands, North East & Yorkshire, North West, and South West.

Announcing the roll out of the pilot, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said:

“Every parent deserves the chance to protect their child from preventable diseases, but some families have a lot going on and that can mean they miss out.

“Health visitors are already trusted faces in communities across the country. By allowing them to offer vaccinations, we’re using the relationships and expertise that already exist to reach families who need support most.

“Fixing the NHS means tackling health inequalities head-on. By meeting families where they are, we’re not just boosting vaccination rates – we’re building a health service that works for everyone.”

Professor Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health, Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and iHV Expert Adviser: Immunisations, commented:

“Despite the overall success of the UK childhood vaccination programme in protecting our children from potentially serious infections, vaccine uptake has been in decline for over a decade with poorer children less likely to be vaccinated. To address this,  the Government has announced an initiative involving health visitors who are already a trusted source of advice for families on vaccination. Building on that trust, this initiative will enable health visiting teams to administer vaccines. The vaccination offer will focus on families who have difficulties accessing services; vaccines may be offered in the home or other venues convenient for families. This initiative is being piloted and if successful may be rolled out more extensively.”

The year-long trial will be evaluated before rolling it out across the country from 2027.

Health visitors on the pilot will get extra training to tackle tricky conversations with worried parents – including those who have doubts about vaccination – and to give vaccinations safely.

From 2 January 2026, children will receive the new MMRV vaccine, protecting against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox in one vaccine. This replaces the current MMR vaccine and offers protection against chickenpox for the first time while making vaccination simpler for families.

Commenting on the new chickenpox vaccine, Professor Bedford said:

“Chickenpox is common and highly infectious with most children under 10 years experiencing an attack. This usually fairly mild though often very uncomfortable due to general malaise and the itchy spots. However, it can result in serious complications including pneumonia, encephalitis and even death. The introduction of a varicella (chickenpox) vaccine to protect our children is therefore an extremely welcome addition to the childhood vaccine programme. It will be offered at 12 and 18 months as a combined vaccine (MMRV). The vaccine has been used successfully for many years in other countries.”

The Government is also investing in better digital services to help families track their child’s health and vaccinations. Through the new NHS App, parents will be able to monitor their children’s health using My Children – a 21st century digital alternative to the Red Book.

iHV supports national vaccination campaign to protect newborns this winter

iHV welcomes and supports the Government’s national campaign urging expectant mothers to get vaccinated against flu, RSV and whooping cough to protect their babies this winter.

The Department of Health and Social Care campaign – ‘Stay Strong. Get Vaccinated’ – uses bubble wrap imagery to show how vaccination during pregnancy passes life-saving antibodies through the placenta to protect newborns.

It comes as the NHS ramps up preparations for winter to provide the safest possible care for patients, with local NHS leaders taking part in “stress test” exercises and providing targeted care for the most vulnerable.

Alongside this, patients are being urged to protect themselves and their families against winter viruses – to help take pressure off hardworking staff and ensure care is there for patients when they need it most.

Health Minister, Ashley Dalton, said:

“We urge expectant mothers to come forward for their flu, RSV and whooping cough jabs – it’s one of the most powerful ways to protect your baby through those critical first months.

“Winter is always tough for the NHS but we are working hard to ramp up preparations so the health service is ready for patients when they need it.

“Let’s work together to protect ourselves and ease pressure on our NHS – the single best way you can protect yourself and your family is by getting vaccinated.”

The multi-channel campaign supported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England will be shown across TV, video on demand, radio, outdoor advertising and social media. A second phase of the campaign in October will aim to encourage people with long-term health conditions to come forward for flu vaccination.

Each year, some 600,000 women give birth in England. New data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reveals hundreds of thousands of pregnant women missed vital vaccines last winter with:

  • just over a third (35%) vaccinated against flu
  • around half receiving a vaccination for RSV, since the programme was launched a year ago
  • a third missing their whooping cough vaccination (66% uptake, though this rose to 71% in early 2025)

Whooping Cough

With 12 infant deaths from whooping cough since the beginning of 2024 and hundreds of babies hospitalised from vaccine-preventable illnesses, it is vital that pregnant women receive their vaccine at the right time – ideally between 20 and 32 weeks.

If you are pregnant and approaching 20 weeks and haven’t been offered the whooping cough vaccine, please speak to your GP or midwife today to find out how you can get your vaccine.

RSV – Respiratory syncytial virus

That is why it is so important that pregnant women between 20 and 32 weeks ensure they are vaccinated as soon as possible – please speak to your GP or midwife today to find out how you can get your vaccine.

Flu

Since the start of September, pregnant women and millions of children have been able to get their flu vaccinations. As of 1 October, adults over 65, those at clinical risk and other eligible groups will also be able to get their flu jabs, with over-75s and those who are immunosuppressed able to get their COVID vaccine.

Those eligible should speak to their GP or practice nurse, or alternatively their local pharmacist, to book a vaccination appointment. For pregnant women, the vaccine may also be available through maternity services.

iHV Fellow’s letter published in The Times

A letter by Dr Alison Spiro, an iHV Fellow, has been published in today’s The Times.

Alison’s letter raises awareness of why we need more health visitors, due to the falling vaccination rates and the important role that health visitors play in informing families of the benefits of their children’s immunisations. Alison calls on the government to reinstate health visitor numbers.

We thank Alison for her strong advocacy work, speaking up for babies, children and families and highlighting the importance of prevention to reduce avoidable harms – especially the important role that health visitors play in supporting vaccination uptake. We need more health visitors and the government needs to take decisive action now to rebuild health visiting services.

Read Alison's letter in The Times here

iHV attends launch of RCPCH report ‘Vaccination in the UK: access, uptake and equity’

A report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), being launched today in the House of Lords and attended by Alison Morton (iHV CEO), has highlighted the significant barriers and difficulties some parents face to get their child vaccinated from serious but preventable diseases and calls on governments to act now to prevent future outbreaks.

Professor Helen Bedford and Alison Morton at the House of Lords launch

 

The World Health Organization recommends a 95% vaccination rate to keep vulnerable groups, such as babies, the elderly, and those who are immunosuppressed, safe through herd immunity. Concerningly in the UK, not a single routine childhood vaccine has hit that target since 2021. Over the past few years, measles and whooping cough (pertussis) have seen a resurgence in the UK due to declining vaccination rates and waning immunity.

Concerned by this downward trend, RCPCH set up the Commission on Immunisation Access, Uptake and Equity and, over a 12-month period, examined national data and research, and gathered first-hand experiences from parents, healthcare workers, and children to understand what’s really preventing uptake.

The Commission concluded that the core challenges lie in logistical and systemic shortcomings and that the current system is fragmented, hard to navigate, and too often fails the very families who need it most. The Commission also found that research and public health resources are sometimes misdirected by focusing too heavily on vaccine hesitancy, when in fact there are many parents who want to vaccinate but simply can’t access services that work for them.

Alison Morton, CEO of the Institute for Health Visitors, said:

“Whilst most parents get their children vaccinated without hesitation, the widening inequalities and decline in vaccine uptake rates are a national cause for concern. This timely report presents a compelling case to ensure babies and children are protected against serious diseases that were once feared by families and can cause so much unnecessary harm.

“The good news is that there is lots of evidence on how to reverse the current trend – captured in the practical recommendations of this report. By working together across national government and local systems, we can tackle the systemic barriers that make it harder for some families to get the vaccines their children need. This includes investing in health visitors who remain parents’ first port of call for trusted advice and, with sufficient funding, are ideally placed to deliver vaccinations to vulnerable groups.”

The report highlights the critical role of the system in addressing access-related barriers, which can deter families, especially those with questions about vaccination, from seeking immunisation for their children. When asked about these obstacles parents reported:

  • Difficulty booking appointments, especially ones that fit around work commitments and childcare needs
  • Transport challenges, including inconvenient clinic locations and the high cost of public transit
  • A lack of continuity in care, with many parents seeing a different GP or clinician at each visit. The absence of health visitors was especially significant, as it limited understanding of individual family circumstances that could influence vaccination decisions
  • A lack of reminders from GP offices about upcoming vaccinations, parents and carers also reported having no easy way to determine what vaccines their children have and have not had, with no set digital records available.
  • A fear of being judged for raising concerns about vaccines or having beliefs in alternative medicine.

The report also underscored the growing disparity in vaccine uptake among some ethnic minority groups, socioeconomically disadvantaged families and migrant communities. These groups reported specific challenges such as limited access to information due to language difficulties, digital exclusion, challenges in navigating the NHS, and a lack of targeted outreach.

In order to reverse declining vaccination rates, the UK must prioritise investments in infrastructure, digital health records for children, staffing levels and staff training. By addressing systemic barriers to access, including those which may more frequently affect underserved communities, the delivery and access to vaccinations can be improved for all.

The Institute of Health Visiting is working with NHS England on its plan to improve vaccination uptake through its Pathfinder project. The aim of the project is to improve access and uptake of childhood vaccinations in underserved groups. The Pathfinder project will test different models of enhanced health visiting provision across a mix of sites across England. The project’s recent call for expressions of interest attracted a huge amount of interest, with numerous submissions setting out a range of enhanced health visiting model options. These included vaccinations delivered during a home visit by a health visitor, vaccinations delivered by another registered healthcare professional who accompanies the health visitor on a targeted home visit, and community outreach approaches led by health visiting teams to administer vaccines in alternative settings, such as health visitor child health clinics or Family Hubs.

Alison concluded:

“We are confident that, when adequately resourced, health visitors can play a significant part in improving vaccination uptake, by building relationships with families, providing a trusted source of advice to answer their questions and supporting families to register with GPs and book appointments. With the right training and vaccination infrastructure, they are also ideally placed to provide options for vaccinations at home or in community settings if families face specific challenges in accessing vaccinations. However, we cannot ignore the challenges that health visiting services currently face in England, with huge disparities in services across the UK, and a national health visitor workforce shortage.

“The message to the government is clear – health visitors want to be part of the solution and ensure that all children get the healthcare they deserve. But it is essential that the government also plays its part and fulfils its pledge to strengthen health visiting, rebuild the health visitor workforce and end the postcode lottery in healthcare that families are currently experiencing.“

Read the full findings and recommendations for change in the RCPCH report ‘Vaccination in the UK: access, uptake and equity.’

Also read Alison Morton's blog in Nursing in Practice: Health visitors to play integral role in improving childhood vaccinations uptake

Boosting immunity with changes to the childhood vaccine schedule

Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department – UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and iHV Expert Advisor for Immunisations, provides an update on some very important changes to the child health vaccination schedule.

The UK childhood vaccination schedule is highly successful with protection against 14 diseases currently routinely offered to children under five years of age. Despite some current challenges in vaccine uptake, specifically a small year-on-year decline over the past 12 years and growing inequalities between areas and communities, most parents vaccinate their children without hesitation. This is in no small part due to advice from health visitors (HV) who are reported by parents as one of the main sources of vaccine information.

It is therefore vital for HVs to keep up to date with the vaccine programme; as it is continually amended, this can be challenging. During 2025/26 significant changes are being introduced which are summarised here along with their rationale. The changes are to be introduced in two phases.

From 1 July 2025:
  • Change to the timing of MenB (meningococcal group B – which can cause meningitis) and PCV (pneumococcal infections which can cause pneumonia and meningitis) in the infant schedule – the second dose of Men B will be brought forward from 16 weeks to 12 weeks and PCV vaccine moved from 12 to 16 weeks.
    • MenB disease cases have declined since the vaccine was introduced, but the peak age for this infection is now younger (1–3 months), with more severe disease in this age group. Bringing forward the second MenB dose aims to protect infants earlier.
  • MenC (meningococcal group C – which can cause meningitis)/Hib vaccine (protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b which can cause Hib meningitis) given at 12 months is to be discontinued as the manufacturers are stopping its production; once stocks are used up this vaccine will no longer be offered.
    • MenC is now very well controlled in young children as a result of the vaccine programme and the main focus for continued control is through the offer of MenACWY vaccine to adolescents.
  • For infants at increased risk of Hepatitis B who are recommended additional doses of the vaccine, the 12 months dose will be discontinued. Instead, they will be offered the 6-in-1 vaccine at 18 months of age at a new routine vaccine visit. These babies continue to need to have their blood tested for infection and this can be done via the Dried Blood Spot test at any time between 12 and 18 months.
From January 2026:
  • The new 18-month routine vaccine visit is a major addition to the vaccine programme. At this visit, toddlers born on or after 1 July 2024 will be offered a fourth dose of the 6-in-1 vaccine and a second dose of MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine.
    • Although MenC is well controlled in infants, a booster of Hib vaccine is needed for continued protection and the discontinuation of Hib/MenC given at 12 months leaves a gap. It will also boost immunity to polio. This brings the UK in line with other countries e.g USA, Canada and some European counties, which offer a fourth dose of the primary vaccines.
    • The second dose of MMR is being brought forward to 18 months from current 3 years 4 months. Research has shown that offering the second dose earlier improves uptake which is especially important in light of current outbreaks of measles and low coverage in some areas and communities.
  • The introduction of routine varicella (V)(chicken pox) vaccine has been recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), but at the time of writing this has not received final approval. When it is introduced, it will be offered in combination with MMR as MMRV vaccine with doses at 12 and 18 months. There will also be a catch-up programme for older children.

Many parents (and professionals) will have questions about these changes. For example, the introduction of a new vaccine always raises questions about its safety and effectiveness. Varicella vaccine maybe new as a routine vaccine in the UK, but many countries have included in their schedules for decades and so there is vast experience to support its safety and effectiveness.

Personal Child Health Record (Red Book)

Pages reflecting the revised schedule and for recording vaccines given will be available as inserts for babies who already have a record and new PCHRs issued from later this year will include this updated information.

These significant updates to the UK childhood vaccination schedule in 2025–26, include timing adjustments for existing vaccines, the discontinuation of MenC/Hib and the introduction of a new 18-month vaccination visit, are designed to improve early protection and overall vaccine uptake.

Information for parents and health professionals

UKHSA has produced a range of information materials to support the schedule changes. These include a slide set for health professionals, updated guidance on vaccination of individuals with uncertain or incomplete vaccination and updated leaflets for parents. These are all available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation

More information about the changes to the childhood schedule can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-schedule-changes-from-1-july-2025-information-for-healthcare-practitioners/childhood-schedule-changes-from-1-july-2025-information-for-healthcare-practitioners

iHV members can also find more information on vaccinations through:

  • Our A-Z resource section on our website which has recently been updated with thanks to UKHSA – click here.
  • iHV Insights webinar – Protecting lives: Health Visitors’ role in vaccination success. If you missed this webinar on 20 March 2025 – you can catch up on the recording by clicking here.

Please note, you need to log in as a member to access these resources.

New NHS vaccination programmes against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

From 1 September 2024, there will be two new vaccination programmes against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – during pregnancy (for infant protection) and older adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the rollout in Scotland already commenced in August. The new vaccinations have been introduced following guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

It is important that everyone working in health visiting is aware of the programme and the underpinning evidence, to support their work in promoting RSV vaccine uptake.

Why vaccinate against RSV?

RSV has been described as “maybe the most common virus you have never heard of” by GP and journalist Dr Mark Porter.

RSV causes respiratory illnesses which are most frequently seen over the winter months between November and February1. In the majority of people, it presents as a cough/cold which gets better by itself within 1 or 2 weeks2. However, in vulnerable populations, such as babies under 6-months-old, those born preterm, adults over 75 years and anyone with a weakened immune system, long-term lung or heart conditions, RSV can be much more serious requiring hospitalisation and, in some cases, causing death.

Many babies with RSV infection are undiagnosed, but they will struggle to breathe and feed due to bronchiolitis or pneumonia over the winter months. On average in England, 20,000 infants are admitted to hospitals each winter due to RSV. The vast majority have no underlying medical conditions. Many need intensive care, and sadly 20 to 30 will die due to RSV infection. RSV has wider impacts too, cancelling major paediatric surgery because critical care beds are needed to keep children with RSV breathing.

The maternal vaccine is a major step forward for child health. It offers infants 70% protection against severe RSV lower respiratory tract infection over the most vulnerable first 6 months of life. Commenting on the new vaccination programme, The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has called it “game changing”.

The new RSV schedule – what you need to know:

  • Pregnancy
    • All women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant on 1 September 2024 should be offered a single dose of the RSV vaccine. After that, pregnant women will become eligible as they reach 28 weeks gestation and remain eligible up to birth. The ideal opportunity to offer vaccination would be at the 28-week antenatal contact, following prior discussion about the vaccine earlier in pregnancy. Providers should aim to vaccinate those already eligible on 1 September as soon as possible.
  • Older adults
    • All adults will be offered the vaccination at 75-years-old.
    • There will be a catch-up programme which will start for those aged 75–79-years-old on 1 September 2024.
    • They will remain eligible until the day before their 80th birthday, with the aim to complete the catch-up programme by the end of August 2025.

It is expected that the majority of the two population groups will have their vaccinations in September and October in preparation for the start of the RSV season.

Role of the health visitor

It is important that health visitors and their teams are aware of these new vaccination programmes. They are ideally placed to have conversations about the benefits of the maternal vaccination during the antenatal and interpregnancy periods, to ensure families who are pregnant or are planning a pregnancy are aware of the new RSV vaccination and how it protects babies. Through their extensive reach to millions of families across the UK each year, they can also play an important role in raising awareness of the new older adult vaccination programme for extended family members, or with grandparents helping with childcare. They are in the ideal place to explain to families what the new programme is, answer any questions that they may have, and direct them to the GP surgery for more information. This will help to protect the whole family, offering lifesaving protection against RSV for young babies and other vulnerable groups.

Further information, guidance and resources to support healthcare practitioners and raise awareness of the new RSV vaccination

As there are two new RSV vaccination programmes (one for pregnant women for infant protection and a separate one for older adults), there are different supporting resources available for each. It is important that anyone involved in RSV immunisation, or promoting vaccine uptake, is aware of which resources to use. More details are also available in the green book, chapter 27a: respiratory syncytial virus.

UKHSA and Public Health agencies for the devolved nations have produced several resources to support practitioners in raising awareness of the new programmes. Some of the resources are available in other languages. Follow the links below to access the resources.

References

  1. UKHAS (2024) What is RSV and is there a vaccine?. Available at: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/07/17/what-is-rsv-and-is-there-a-vaccine/
  2. NHS (2024) Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Available at:
    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv/

New RSV vaccination of pregnant women from September 2024

From 1 September 2024, pregnant women can have a free vaccine in each pregnancy to protect their babies against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Make sure you are up to date about this important new vaccination to raise awareness and promote uptake.

Why the RSV vaccine is needed

RSV is a common virus which can cause a lung infection called bronchiolitis. In small babies this condition can make it hard to breathe and to feed. Most cases can be managed at home but around 20,000 infants are admitted to hospital with bronchiolitis each year in England. Infants with severe bronchiolitis may need intensive care and the infection can be fatal in some cases. RSV is more likely to be serious in very young babies, those born prematurely, and those with conditions that affect their heart, breathing or immune system.

RSV accounts for approximately 33,500 hospitalisations annually in children aged under 5-years-old. It is a leading cause of infant mortality across the world and results in 20 to 30 deaths per year in the UK. RSV infects up to 90% of children within the first 2 years of life and frequently re-infects older children and adults.

How the RSV vaccine protects babies

The vaccine boosts the mother’s immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus. These antibodies then pass through the placenta to help protect babies from the day they are born. RSV vaccination reduces the risk of severe bronchiolitis by 70% in the first 6 months of life. After this age, babies are at much lower risk of severe RSV.

Older children and adults can also get RSV infection, but the disease is more serious for small babies and people aged 75 and over.

Find out more: A guide to RSV vaccination for pregnant women

Read UKHSA Guidance:  RSV vaccination of pregnant women for infant protection: information for healthcare practitioners

Read UKHSA blog: What is RSV and is there a vaccine?

UKHSA encourages timely vaccination as whooping cough cases rise

Yesterday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published a news story urging timely whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy and in childhood to protect vulnerable young infants from serious disease:

  • Pregnant women are offered a whooping cough vaccine in every pregnancy, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks – protecting their baby from birth in the first months of their life when they are most vulnerable and before they can receive their own vaccines.
  • All babies are given three doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age to protect against whooping cough and other serious diseases.

New data published yesterday by UKHSA shows cases of whooping cough continue to increase with 2,591 cases confirmed in May. This follows 555 cases in January 2024, 920 in February, 1,427 in March and 2,106 in April – bringing the total number of cases from January to May 2024 to 7,599.

Sadly, there have been 9 infant deaths since the current outbreak began in November last year (one in December 2023 and 8 between January to end May 2024). Young babies are at highest risk of severe complications and death from whooping cough. Evidence from England shows that vaccination at the right time in pregnancy is highly effective, giving 92% protection against infant death.

From January to May 2024, while most cases (53.4%, 4,057) were in those aged 15 years or older who usually get a mild illness, high numbers (262) continue to be reported in babies under 3 months of age who are at greatest risk from the infection.

Whooping cough cases have been rising across England, as well as in many other countries, since December 2023 due to a combination of factors. Whooping cough is a cyclical disease that peaks every 3 to 5 years. The last cyclical increase occurred in 2016. However, in common with other diseases, cases fell to very low numbers during the pandemic due to restrictions and public behaviours. A peak year is overdue and the impact of the pandemic also means there is reduced immunity in the population.

The latest uptake data for the vaccination offered to pregnant women to protect newborn infants against whooping cough continues to decline – with coverage in March 2024 at 58.9% compared to the peak coverage (72.6%) in March 2017.

Timely vaccination in pregnancy and in childhood are both important to protect vulnerable young infants from serious disease. All babies are given three doses of the 6-in-1 jab at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age to protect against whooping cough and other serious diseases such as diphtheria and polio, with a pre-school booster offered at 3 years 4 months.

Whooping cough, clinically known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection which affects the lungs. The first signs of infection are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat, but after about a week, the infection can develop into coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are typically worse at night. Young babies may also make a distinctive ‘whoop’ or have difficulty breathing after a bout of coughing, though not all babies make this noise which means whooping cough can be hard to recognise.

If anyone in your family is diagnosed with whooping cough, it’s important they stay at home and do not go into work, school or nursery until 48 hours after starting antibiotics, or 2 weeks after symptoms start if they have not had antibiotics. This helps to prevent the spread of infection, especially to vulnerable groups, including infants. However, vaccination remains the best protection for babies and children.

UKHSA Blog

Alongside the updated data, UKHSA also published a powerful new blog post, “Whooping cough: my daughter spent the third week of life in an induced coma”. In this blog post, Jenny, from Hampshire, shares the story of her daughter Layla and her struggle with whooping cough at 3-weeks-old.

Read the UKHSA blog post

Health visitors’ role to promote uptake of the pertussis vaccine

UKHSA is calling for frontline clinicians to promote uptake of the pertussis vaccine. Pregnant women can have a pertussis-containing vaccination between 20 and 32 weeks’ gestation – they should also be vaccinated with every pregnancy.

Health visitors have a vital role to play in discussing vaccinations with parents and caregivers and promoting vaccine uptake. As a universal service, they visit every family, building trust through regular visits, often in the family’s home. Resources are available for health visitors and their team members to support communication around vaccines with pregnant women.